After the calling, came the doing (see last week’s post). It required a lot of pray, a mountain of research, and endless writing. After a couple of years, I had a nice little 20,000 word story. I showed my masterpiece to a few friends. They smiled nicely and commented briefly. I asked an editor friend to edit the story. She conveyed what I knew to be true—it wasn’t yet complete. Well, back to the drawing board.

I expanded the story, struggled with writer’s block, and researched more. Many days I confessed to the Lord, “Who am I to think I can do this?” The Lord led me to a quote about staying the course.

In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins—not through strength, but through perseverance.    John Mason

Perseverance. One sentence at a time. One page at a time. My editing friend began teaching me as I wrote. “Make things clear. Arrange the words this way. Too many “was”es.” Rewrite. Rework. 40,000 words. Done. When she returned my manuscript, it was bleeding with red ink! Back to the computer. Correct. Rework. Polish. Still the questioning, “Who am I to think I could ever do this?” Again and again He would remind me, “You can’t, but I can.” Another quote came:

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.   (Author unknown)

I felt it was time to retire from my church music position so I could give more time to writing. The Lord gave a verse:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Unbelievably, the morning I resigned, that verse popped up on the screen as the pastor preached. What an assurance that this was the next appropriate step for me.

I finally had the manuscript ready. I found a perfect costume and the Lord provided just the right young man for me to photograph. He even knew how to mute the photo for a suggested front cover.

As if the researching and writing weren’t enough, it was time to face the next stage—publishing. It would take two more posts to tell that story! Suffice it to say that a publisher came through and one glorious day, I held that first book in my hands. My eyes tear up just remembering that moment.

On to yet another phase of this process—marketing. We made contact with a fellow who had been in our youth group years before. He took me in, helped me establish a website name (www.joycecordell.com) and an official email to go with it. Then he whisked me off to a studio to film a two-minute video to put on the website, and make the picture of me that you see on my books. As we were making the video, I thought, “My how things come around.” It was years ago I was telling him how to say this or do that in a youth drama. Now as a grown man he was telling me how to do this or that.

You see, at every turn, the Lord put just the right people in just the right places at just the right time to help me fulfill the calling He had given me.

As I began the second book, the Lord reminded me again of life verses every time things became discouraging:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

But those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

As I walked with Nicodemus in book two, I couldn’t wait to get to the computer each day to see what was going to happen next. The first years of writing and researching had given me a pathway. With this second book, ideas flowed plentifully. Oh, I still had mountains of research, writing, and editing to do to take me to 95,000 words, and yes—I had to wait on the Lord. All this had to take place before the soaring, but praise His name, He was so faithful. Oh my, tears again.

We all have our stories, don’t we? Maybe it would be a good time for you to write one of your stories of His faithfulness—even a one-pager. Share it with a friend or one of your children. Or me!

This has been a bit long, but thank you for listening to my story.

~ Joyce ~